Pacific Coast Collaborative Declaration On Climate Resilience

San Francisco, CA – Today, Governors Jerry Brown (CA) and Jay Inslee (WA) announced on behalf of the Pacific Coast Collaborative (PCC) a new effort to strengthen climate resilience at the Global Climate Action Summit (GCAS). This effort has taken on new urgency in light of unprecedented wildfires and intensifying climate-fueled natural disasters across the West Coast this summer and will facilitate cross-jurisdiction learning and collaboration on climate resilience for local communities and infrastructure. PCC members will identify successful programs and approaches that are leading to enhanced resilience outcomes and specific opportunities for regional collaboration on key issues such as: mobilization of public and private resources to increase community-level climate resilience, integration of climate resilience into jurisdiction-level policies, and infrastructure finance, among others.

“Over this week, we welcome the world to the Pacific Coast and show that even those leading the climate charge can – and will – go even further,” said Gov. Edmund G. Brown, Jr. of California.

Bound together by a common geography, shared infrastructure and a regional economy with a combined GDP of US $3 trillion, the PCC has a shared vision of the Pacific Coast as a model of innovation that sustains its communities and creates jobs and new economic opportunities for its combined population of 55 million. Partners of the PCC recognize that updating, improving and climate-proofing the Pacific Coast’s critical infrastructure offers significant opportunity for investment and innovative partnerships to drive the clean, modern, resilient and robust economy of the future.

The world’s changing climate is leading to increases in the frequency and severity of drought, wildfire, flooding, and other natural disasters. States, provinces, cities and local communities are on the front lines of responding to climate-fueled natural disasters. As coastal jurisdictions, PCC partners have an urgent need to develop resilience planning agendas and deploy approaches and infrastructure that safeguard vulnerable communities and people exposed to sea level rise and other acute climate-driven impacts.

“The West Coast represents the world’s fifth largest economy and we are creating a blueprint for other regions. We are building a thriving, innovative economy that combats climate change and embraces a zero-emission future. Our efforts aren’t just building a clean energy economy, they’re also creating great places to live,” said Washington Gov. Jay Inslee. “We are already seeing the impact of climate change in Washington state, and that’s why we must do whatever we can to protect our environment and our economy.”

As part of the Declaration on Climate Resilience, the Premier and Governors of the Pacific Coast Collaborative agree to undertake a coordinated knowledge exchange, strategic planning and, where appropriate, collaborative implementation effort under the PCC that identifies and builds on existing and ongoing efforts and activities across the region and key cities.

Additionally, the parties agree to emphasize issues of regional importance, including: natural disaster preparation and response coordination, fire prevention and management strategies, coastal adaptation measures, water management and drought preparedness strategies, enhancing the resilience of natural and working lands, and development of reliable, resilient and affordable energy and transportation systems and infrastructure across the West in the context of climate change.

This process will help the jurisdictions share relevant information, and will result in actionable, timely, and specific recommendations for action on key issues, with a particular emphasis on working to ensure the most vulnerable and disadvantaged populations in our communities are equipped to thrive in a climate-impacted world, with special attention to those living in rural, impoverished and particularly vulnerable or isolated areas.

Visit www.pacificcoastcollaborative.org for more information. Please follow @PCCLeads on Twitter for the latest updates on the PCC’s activity at the Global Climate Action Summit. Please follow @OA_Alliance on Twitter for the latest updates on the OA Alliance’s activity at the GCAS.

About the Pacific Coast Collaborative
Through the PCC, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, California, and the cities of Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Oakland, and Los Angeles are working together to build the low carbon economy of the future.
● Together, the PCC represents a region of 55 million people with a combined GDP of $3 trillion (the world’s fifth largest economy).
● This collaborative represents the biggest, most advanced attempt to create a low-carbon future of any transboundary region in the world.
● Our progress: since 2008, the region’s GDP grew by 32 percent while total emissions dropped more than 6 percent.
● PCC leaders are working on issues and opportunities that cross borders, such as integrating the region’s power grid, combating ocean acidification, and building an interstate electric vehicle charging network.